e-newsletter #12 July 2009

Headline News

Ann Keen MP to address meeting of the APPG on Fibromyalgia Syndrome: The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, Ann Keen MP, will address a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Fibromyalgia Syndrome on Monday.

Jacqui Mayes Nutrition and Fibro Talk: Nutritionist Jacqui Mayes will be giving a talk on Nutrition & Fibro to the Reading Fibromyalgia Support Group on Monday July 13th.

Positive Phase III data for Sodium Oxybate as a treatment for Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Jazz Pharmaceuticals' medication sodium oxybate (JZP-6) demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in pain and the core symptoms associated with Fibromyalgia Syndrome, according to Phase III data.

Events in July: Two exciting events are coming up in July: the Fibromyalgia Support Northern Ireland 6th International Conference and Brains, Pains and Gains, a one-day conference on pain and pain management.

Research Articles

DRD3 Ser9Gly Polymorphism Related to Thermal Pain Perception and Modulation in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A study e-published ahead of print in the Journal of Pain has found that genetic polymorphisms of a dopamine receptor appear to influence 2 core features of Fibromyalgia Syndrome.

The Psychiatrist confronted with a Fibromyalgia Syndrome patient: A psychiatrist at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria has written an article concluding that psychiatrists are well placed to initiate treatment for Fibromyalgia Syndrome patients they encounter.

Relationships between Fibromyalgia Syndrome impact and muscle strength: A study has found that more than half of Fibromyalgia Syndrome patients had significantly reduced knee muscle strength, but that muscle strength was not was not an indicator of how severe their Fibro was.

Normalizing memory recall in Fibromyalgia Syndrome with rehearsal: A recently published study has found that patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome have a significant level of cognitive deficit that could be missed by conventional measures and that rehearsal is a useful tool for Fibro patients to overcome recall difficulties with distraction.

Notes from
FibroAction founder
Lindsey Middlemiss

I hope you've been able to enjoy the good weather and haven't been too badly affected by the heat. Even mild dehydration can be a real issue with Fibro, so make sure you stay hydrated!

I've got an exciting week lined up. On Monday, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, Ann Keen MP, will address a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Fibromyalgia Syndrome. Hopefully, I'll be able to send out live updates on the meeting via Twitter.

On Thursday, July 9th, I'll be speaking at Brains, Pains & Gains, a one-day conference on pain and pain management, organised by the West Berkshire Neurological Alliance (WBNA). Speakers include Dr Katy Vincent from the Oxford fMRI Centre, whose talk should be fascinating - fMRI is the modern imaging technique used to show the hypersensitivity to pain that characterises Fibro. If you're interested in getting a last-minute place, download a registration form for the event here and call the organisers.

Many thanks to everyone who responded to my request for a volunteer newsletter editor last month. If you contacted us & we haven't got back to you, we will do soon.